Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2 is a tactical third-person shooter video game in development by Epic Games and to be published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed best-seller Gears of War, and was announced by lead designer Cliff Bleszinski during the 2008 Game Developers Conference on February 20, 2008. It is currently scheduled for release in November of 2008 and uses an updated version of the Unreal Engine 3.http://www.gametrailers.com/player/30824.html. Its slogan is "Hope Runs Deep." Also, a Gears of War 2 Zune is confirmed, having 120GB of memory, a laser-etched Crimson Omen, and is already filled with soundtracks, images, videos, etc. E3 2008 Trailer OBegies-IVg Gameplay The technical demo shown at the Game Developers Conference indicated that much of the core gameplay elements that were central to Gears of War (a third-person, "run and gun" style game that emphasizes the use of cover) would be present in the sequel. John DiMaggio, the voice actor of Marcus Fenix, confirmed to IGN that players would be able to fight Brumaks in Gears of War 2. He also revealed there will be a deeper story with new characters, new weapons, and new enemies.http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/855/855853p1.html The game will also include the ability for a player to duel with an AI or human opponent when both use the Chainsaw Bayonet attachment of the Lancer, as seen in the 2008 Game Developer's Conference promotional video, later confirmed in informal interviews with developers. . In Gears 2 the poor chap that is downed isn't as helpless as he was before. Now you can crawl around as a last desperate attempt for life. Rapidly tapping the A Button will help you crawl faster, but if you have a Grenade equipped when you're downed, you can press the right trigger to drop the grenade, and commit martyrdom. The grenade will still have a timer when you drop it, so it'll take a little more skill than just simply pressing the right trigger. Also, you cannot drop a grenade once the opponent has started an execution. In an interview with EGM in that same July issue, Cliffy said that Gears 2 is running roughly 30 percent better, in terms of performance than the first game. He also went on to say that, while the team did consider it, dedicated servers will not be allowed in Gears 2. Other little developer quips mentioned consider implementing a live-scoring icon on the screen that will show players how much damage they're causing as well as their score. A.I. bots were apparently also hinted at. You'll no longer be booted from a game if the host jumps out; you'll simply all vote on a new map to play. Other little additions include the ability to "wall hug" and interrupting SWAT turns mid-move. Executions The A Button -- Causes you to grab the downed opponent and use them as a meat shield. They'll be dead as far as the game is concerned but their body will still be in your hands, getting blown to bits with enemy fire. The B Button -- This is your standard melee attack but in Gears 2, you will lift your Lancer in the air, and you will use your saw to go through the enemy's shoulders or neck. When an enemy is downend you will flip them on there back and beat there face in with your fists. The X Button -- The classic, and oh-so-juicy curb stomp. In Gears 2 you flip them onto their back first, but you know the rest. The Y Button -- The fancy finishes are governed by the Y button. Be warned, though, it can take up to three seconds to complete these weapon specific moves and you'll be totally vulnerable during that time. One example is using your longshot as a sledge-hammer. Plot Gears of War 2 takes place six months after the detonation of the Lightmass Bomb at the end of the first game. Though most of the Locust Horde was destroyed, the explosion also caused much of the liquid Imulsion underground to vaporize, causing a fatal disease called "Rust Lung" to spread among the diminished human population. After months of peace, the cities of Tollen and Montevado suddenly and mysteriously disappear underground, leading the COG to suspect the resurgence of the Locust. Soon after, the once impenetrable Jacinto Plateau, one of the last remaining safe havens for humans, begins to show signs that the same fate awaits it. In order to stop the fall of Jacinto, the COG responds with a large-scale counteroffensive against the Locust. Senior Producer Rod Fergusson says "In order to save Jacinto, they (the COG) have no choice but to take the war to the Locust." Comic book writer Joshua Ortega says "The stakes are raised. This is humanity's last stand. Everything is at risk. Nothing is safe." Multiplayer Features/Abilities Battle-Cam -- Okay, we have to say, this is totally one of those "in no way-shape-or-form do we need this, but it's still really cool" features. The Battle-Cam allows players who have slipped into the after-life (been killed) to take a screenshot with the B-button of the most frenetic action that they can find. Do that, and the game will register all of the blood and executions -- everything including the amount of particle effects on-screen -- and spit out a score which is then uploaded, along with your screenshot, to the leaderboards for the world to see. We told you it was cool.Executions New Maps New maps included in Gears of War 2 include the following. *Avalanche *Security *River *Blood Drive *Pavilion *Stasis *Hail *Ruins *Day One *Jacinto In addition to the new maps, five original Gears of War maps will return, called the "Flashback Map Pack". These maps include Canals,Gridlock,Mansion,Subway and Tyro Station. These maps will be included in the Map Pack for download on the day the game is released using a special code if you buy a new copy the game, to try to stop people from buying used copies. Game Modes Horde Horde is a new multiplayer mode in Gears of War 2. In it, a team of five players team up to take on waves of Locust forces. As each wave falls, the next will be stronger, adding new Locust. Meatflag/Submission This is a variant on classic Capture-the-Flag but instead of having an inanimate object sitting in the center of a stage waiting to be captured, Gears 2 will have a mean, gun-firing, AI-controlled Stranded sitting there waiting to do battle (he'll even tally his own score to be seen by all at the end of a round). Do enough damage to take him down to his knees and then run up, use him as a meat shield and haul his carcass back to your base to score the point for your team. Just remember, there's nothing more humiliating than getting killed by the flag Wingman Here the ten possible players (up from the original game's eight) are broken up into sets of 2. Each pair will share the same character model, and you'll have to hunt throughout the map to kill as much of the opposition as possible before landing at a final kill count. Like free-for-all, but with a partner to work with. Guardian One man on your team is the leader, the rest are his hapless peons. Okay, not really. But one player is the leader and if he dies, then the ability to respawn is taken from his teammates, turning their current life into their last. The leader is called out on the opponent's screen at all times, making the hunt that much easier. First team to wipe out the other wins. Warzone The standard Team Deathmatch mode of GoW2. Warzone is a battle between two teams for the most amount of kills at the end of each match, by eliminating the opposing team each round. Characters Returning characters will include Marcus Fenix,Dominic Santiago, and others from the first game, as well as Cole and Baird. Lead designer Cliff Bleszinski has also confirmed that the character Carmine will be returning, it was revealed that instead of the original Carmine appearing, his brother Benjamin Carmine will have a large role in the game. The game will also introduce several new characters; among these are Chairman Prescott, the near dictatorial military leader of COG, Tai Kaliso, "a spiritual and meditative warrior from a tradition of honor bound fighters," and Dizzy, a former Stranded who joined the COG in order to keep his family safe, and Benjamin Carmine, the brother of Anthony Carmine. Dominic's wife Maria will also make an appearance, and Dominic's search for her will play an important part in the story. List of Locust characters on Gears of War 2 * Boomers * Butchers * Grinders * Maulers * Brumaks * Corpsers * Drones * Grenadiers * Kantus * Nemacysts * Reavers * Rock Worms * Snipers * Ticker * Wretches * Skorge COG Arsenal * Smoke Grenade -- These are now home to a concussion blast that will knock a shield out of someone's hand while disabling their sight and overall equilibrium. Any of the grenade types in the game can also be stuck on walls and will act as proximity mines * Snub Pistol * Lancer Assault Rifle -- You've heard this before, this armament from the original now has a tie-breaker for chainsaw kills. Mashing the B-button as fast as you can could lead to three outcomes. First, you win and slice through your opponent. Second, you lose and meet the same fate. Or third, there's an improbable tie and you both step back to go at it again (or whip out a shotgun and own their face). And no, you're not invulnerable for any part of the animation, also screenshots reveal the Lancer has a longer barrel, possibly hinting the fact the Lancer might be more accurate at longer ranges. * Gnasher Shotgun * Frag Grenade * Mulcher * Mortar * Scorcher Flamethrower -- This will appear only once on a multiplayer map. It benefits from a longer range if you can hit the active reload perfectly and will glow red when it's ready to bring death to the masses. * Longshot Sniper Rifle * Hammer of Dawn Locust Armory * Boltok Pistol -- This sucker is back from Gears 1 and now has a quicker rate of fire after an active reload. * Gorgon Burst Pistol -- Faster rate of fire than other pistols and shoots in short bursts. * Boomshield -- This sucker can be chucked into the ground beneath you and used as stationary cover. Of course, you can also carry it around and use it in conjunction with a pistol. * Troika Heavy Machine Gun * Poison Grenade -- Spews a nasty dark green haze that brings down everyone in its path. * Torque Bow * Boomshot Grenade Launcher * Hammerburst Assault Rifle -- This Locust rifle from the first Gears is back and can now fire with higher accuracy at longer ranges and does more damage. Players can also fire with a fan method (holding and releasing the right trigger) that will allow for a quicker rate of fire at the expense of accuracy. Development GDC Unreal Tech demo At the GDC (Game Developers Conference) 2008, Epic Games, creator of Gears of War and Gears of War 2 showcased a tech demo in which they demonstrated new features of the Unreal Engine in Gears of War. These new features included Ambient Occlusion Technology (that vastly improves the lighting effects in the game), Dynamic Water Effect Technology (that creates more life-like looking water both in the way it looks and in the way it reacts to movement), Improved "Matinee" System (that is used to create in game cinematics), Soft Body Physics Technology (which improves textures for different substances in the engine, in the demo a large piece of flesh was shown that reacted very realistically to the player) and destructible environments. One of the most marked features to be showcased was the introduction of High Density Crowds which saw literally hundreds of locusts running through the Gridlock map from the original Gears of War. The introduction of this technology could allow larger battles in Gears of War 2, as well as larger multiplayer games. Vehicles The only known vehicles to take place in this game are Derricks, the Centaur Tank and King Ravens. It was also hinted at in the E3 demo trailer that Brumaks and reavers would be rideable. The complete list of vehicles on the official site are: * APC * Assault Derrick * Centaur Tank * Junker * King Raven Pre-release marketing XBL Marketplace content On February 20 2008, coinciding with the game's official announcement at the Game Developers Conference, free gamer pictures ("Crimson Picture Pack") and a dashboard theme ("Bare Your Teeth"), as well as a teaser trailer, titled "Duel" (not available in all regions), were made available via the Xbox Live Marketplace. Limited Edition A Limited Collectors Edition of the game has already been confirmed. External links *GearsofWar.com *[http://www.gametrailers.com/game/6236.html Gears of War 2 "Duel" trailer] at GameTrailers *Unreal Engine Tech Demo *Gears of War 2 Gameplay & Info *Gears of War 2 E3 Trailer Category:Gears of War